


Cafe Annoyance

by teagarden15



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:53:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26019850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teagarden15/pseuds/teagarden15
Summary: Chikage is irritated at the amount of female attention he receives while at a café, so Izumi tries to help.
Relationships: Tachibana Izumi & Utsuki Chikage
Comments: 21
Kudos: 83





	Cafe Annoyance

**Author's Note:**

> I finished Chikage’s chapter of my fic Wish over the weekend and it put me in the mood to write more Chikage/Izumi!

“Isn’t he sexy?” a woman whispered to her friend over a cup of coffee as they glanced at a green-haired man a few tables away. “I just love a man in glasses.”

“I’m into the intent look on his face as he works on his laptop,” the woman’s friend said, her eyes on the man. “I wish he’d look at me that way. Also, did you notice he doesn’t have a ring?” She grinned and sang, “It means he might be available!” 

A few tables away, a group of college girls giggled as they stared at the same man. “How old do you think he is?” one asked. 

“Not that much older than us,” another answered. “And aren’t guys supposed to be into college girls? We’re young and vulnerable and all that.” 

Chikage gritted his teeth hard enough that a muscle in his cheek twitched. As much as he wanted to drown out the chatter of the café visitors around him, his training was too deeply ingrained to allow that. To be ignorant of your surroundings was to leave yourself open for a possible attack. He needed to keep his ears tuned to the conversations around him in case there were enemies present. Or so he could bolt if any of the women tried approaching him. 

~.~

Izumi’s mind was full of curry spices as she walked down the street. She’d forgotten her list of spices to buy at home, but she was pretty sure she could remember all the ones she needed. She was intimately familiar with her curry spices, after all.

Glancing through a window of a café as she passed, she noted that several tables of women were slyly or not so slyly glancing at the same table. She stopped, curious about what had caught the interest of so many women. 

She blinked upon realizing that it was Chikage. He sat working on his laptop, a dark look on his face and his shoulders strung so tight with tension that they nearly reached his ears. Without thinking, she rushed into the café, a little afraid that one of the women might try something and that Chikage would snap if they did. 

“Chikage!” she called out. 

He looked behind him, a scowl on his face and a look of murder in his eyes that rivaled Sakyo’s darkest look, though his face melted into a neutrally surprised look upon seeing her. 

“Sorry, I’m late,” she said breezily, loud enough for the tables around to hear as she reached his table and took a seat. She was sure her delivery was terrible, but the only thing that was important was that they heard her. 

“Did we have plans I was unaware of?” Chikage asked, raising his eyebrows. 

“No,” she said quietly, “but if the women here think you’re taken, they’re less likely to keep giving you so much attention.” 

“Ah,” Chikage said, surprise and understanding flashing through his eyes. She nearly breathed a sigh of relief when his shoulders lowered, the tension draining out of them. “Well, if that’s the case, we’d better put on a good show. Here.” He held out a small cookie near her face. “This came complimentary with my coffee, but you know how I feel about sweets.”

Izumi flushed red. “A-are you insinuating that you want me to eat that from your hand?” 

He raised his eyebrows again. “Did you come in here to help me or not? If a woman comes, sits for a moment, and then leaves then you could simply be a coworker, a friend, or even a sister. The little things are important to convey that we are a couple and that I am therefore off limits.” 

He had a point. She did come in here to make sure that Chikage didn’t accidently kill anyone in a fit of rage, and also because she wanted to help him out. He had a right to have a simple cup of coffee without being harassed as the center of attention. 

“I guess you’re right,” she agreed, still blushing as she leaned forward to take the cookie. The cookie was small enough that her lips brushed against his fingers, causing her blush to deepen. It didn’t help that he stared at her the whole time. 

“A-anyway, are you working on your blog?” 

“Yes,” he said, turning his laptop enough for her to see the screen. “There’s a new restaurant by my work I recently ate at that I haven’t had a chance to review until now.”

She pouted when she saw the name of the restaurant. “They don’t serve curry.” 

“No,” he agreed with amusement. “But they do have good food. I’ll take you there next time I go. We can meet up for lunch when you’re in the area shopping.”

“Mm, I don’t know about that,” she said dubiously. “I like the stores near your work, but I think I need to stop going there. Something weird with either you or Itaru and your coworkers usually happens when I’m in that area.” 

“It’ll be fine,” he brushed off. “We can meet at the restaurant so you don’t run into anyone.” 

“Fine,” she agreed. “I’ll let you know the next time I’m shopping around there near lunchtime. It won’t be for a while though since you’ll be gone.” Her eyes darkened with concern. “You leave for your trip today for your . . . third job.” She wasn’t sure what else to call the other work that he did. She didn’t even know what other work he did other than that it was probably shady and associated with an organization that thought Hisoka was dead and had a traitor who was responsible for the death of Hisoka’s and Chikage’s friend August. 

Hesitantly, she put a hand on Chikage’s arm. “I need to go now, but come back safely, okay?” As much as she loved everything about the Mankai Company, she knew that their current line-up of actors couldn’t last forever and Chikage was the one she was most concerned about leaving. Or, more like, she was afraid he would be there one day and gone the next without a word to anyone. 

That was part of why his sparse bedroom bothered her, so she’d bought him a trinket to put in his room, as though that could somehow help tie him tighter to his home in the dorms. The last time she’d gone to bring Itaru dinner in his room, she’d been pleased to note that Chikage had kept the trinket. 

She stood to leave, but stopped when Chikage spoke. “If that’s what you want, then you had better give me a good luck kiss,” he said in that tone of voice where Izumi could never tell if he was joking or serious. “And it will have the added benefit of definitely convincing these women to leave me alone.”

“Are good luck kisses a real thing?”

“Of course they are. How could you have never heard of that before? You see it in movies all the time. Before the hero goes off on a dangerous task he asks his lady for a good luck kiss.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to say, “But I’m not your lady,” except he was staring at her with an expectant look that kind of promised retribution if she said no and left without making it clear to all these women that he was off limits. There was also a ridiculous part of her that whispered that Chikage was likely going off to do something dangerous, and what if by kissing him she did give him just a little bit of luck? As ridiculous as it was, if she didn’t kiss him and he didn’t return, she would feel partially responsible. 

“Fine,” she said, leaning down to peck his cheek. She didn’t know if her aim was off or if he moved, but somehow she ended up grazing the edge of his lips. Tingles ran up her body, but she told herself it was just because her body was probably falling asleep from the weird angle she’d been sitting in. This kiss wasn’t because they felt anything for each other. It was for show and for luck. “I’ll see you at home soon,” she said firmly. 

Chikage’s eyes softened a fraction. “Yes. I’ll return home as quickly as I can.”

“Good,” she said before striding out of the café. 

~.~

The pair of women a few tables away sighed, one in disappointment, but the other dreamily. “Do you see how soft his eyes look now? Isn’t that adorable? His girlfriend must mean so much to him. I want a boyfriend whose day is brightened just because he saw me for a couple minutes.”

“Yeah, good luck with that,” her friend grumbled. “A guy like that is probably only one in a million.”


End file.
